World's first DSLR-shot movie breaks cover

'Searching For Sonny' shot on a Canon EOS 5D MKII

We'll admit it – the idea of Full HD filming on a DSLR camera hasn't exactly excited us.

In fact, we have written about the increasing availability of an HD video option on DSLRs with more than a hint of scepticism, thinking the feature is redundant on a camera because, well, it's a camera and should be used for taking still images.

And then we viewed the teaser trailer for Searching For Sonny and everything changed.

Created by Andrew Disney of Patahouse, a production company and creative agency operating in Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas, Searching For Sonny proves that a stills camera can create decent movie footage.

Pandora's Box

Shot on a Canon EOS 5D MKII, the filmmakers have told all in a blog, explaining the ins and outs of shooting a movie with a DSLR.

"We came to the camera with many hesitations," states the blog. "You read online how it's a Pandora's box. On one hand you get this great picture quality, on the other hand you have to figure out how to control aperture and light sensitivity. Canon made a great camera, but it seems like the video was an afterthought. In the end we found that the workarounds are totally worth it."

The blog then goes on to list the series of workarounds that had to be put into place. It might sound like a lot of hard work, but then you just have to check out some Dogme 95 movies to understand that adding constraints to filmmaking can be a good thing.

To read more on Searching For Sonny, check out the filmmakers' blog here.